Machine



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

RA. MILLS. SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 524,339. Patentd Aug. 14, 1894.

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6 i "m e Modem 5 Sheets-Shet 2. F A. MILLS.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

No 524,339. Patented Aug. 14, 1894.:

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(No Model.) v 5 SheetsSheet-3.

F. A. MILLS. SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 14

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(No Model.)

Patented Aug. 14, 1894.

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SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

-N0.524,339. v Patented Aug. 14,- 189.4.

mum 1 g n: uonms Pm: co. PHOTOLITHOWWASNXNGTON o c UNITED STATES FRANCIS ARTHUR MILLS,

PATENT 'QFFICE.

OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN SYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR,

BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES MUN DELL, OF SAME PLACE.

SHOE-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,339, dated August 14, 1894. App n filed January 28, 1893. Renewed November 20, 1893. V Serial'No. 491.443. (No model.)

'To all'whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS ARTHUR MILLs, a citizen of the United States,and a-resident of the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sole-Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention claimed herein is directed to astandard supporting structure and housing for shoe sewlng machinery, in which the op erator presents and manipulates the work to devices which support and feed it; and my said invention consists in certain novel parts and combinations of parts hereinafter specifically set forth in the claims concluding this specification. Before specifying such claims I will describe the structure illustrated in the drawings.

The following description read in connection with the drawings will enable any one skilled in the art to which my invention relates to understand its nature and to practice it in the form in which I prefer to employ it; but it will be understood that my invention isnot limited to the precise form herein illustrated and described, as various modifications may be made without departing from its spirit and j without exceeding the scope of the conclud- 3o ing claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of a shoe sew- I ing machine, showing the complete sewing mechanism as mounted upon my new supporting and housing structure.

front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 4. represents the standard structure and housing for the sewing machinery. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the up-' per clamping split end of the supporting their separate connection by the crank pin and their separate supporting shafts; and

Fig. 2 is a Fig.11lshows the right side of the sewing- 'head structure.

Thestandard structure which I have produced has provision for supporting and ad the machine. For effecting these objects I 6o construct the standard A hollow and split its" upper end at a vertically for about one foot.

At each side of this split there is astrong lug b, one of which is screw threaded and through which a screw bolt 0 passes to clamp the split parts together. 7

r The sewing machinery is mounted within and upon a housing structure, which is mounted upon a stem about six inches in diameter and about eighteen inches long and formed with a strong circumferential screw thread d which fits snugly within the smooth walls of the split standard so that the latter is firmly clamped upon the screw-stem when the sewing-head housing is adjusted. 7T0- supportthishousingstructure upon thestandard I provide a screw ring e fitted upon the screw-stem and resting upon the split end of the standard forms the swivel support for the sewing machinery e by which it is turned when it is desired to raise or to lower the sewing-head structure. When so adjusted the split end of the standard is clamped upon the screw-stem and the sewing-head structure is prevented from turn- 8 5 ing. When the standard is unclamped the sewing-head structure is free to be turned horizontally by freeing the driving beltfrom the pulleyfwliich can be quickly done by a slight turning of the head to slacken the belt. 6

The head can then be swiveled and raised and lowered for the purposes stated. In this way also the driving belt can be tightened 7 when required. It will be understood that the screw ring e maintains its seat upon the 9 standard in swiveling and in adjusting the height of the sewing-head structure, and as fords a firm and durable support for'the working structure.

The structure work supporting, and feeding mechanism, comprises a horizontal base-plate 1, a centerand is'provided with'arms,

which contains the sewing, I00

.head mounted at right angles thereon forming a bifurcated pillar 3 at its front and a p llar 3 at its rear ends connected by a sernicircular wall 4 making an inverted arch open at lts base and at each side for the accommodation of cylinders having cams for operating the sewing and work supporting mechan1sm. The centerhead contains a separate nose part which I call the sewinghead mounted upon and overhanging the front pillar, for containing the sewing mechanism proper. The centerhead is firmly secured upon the base-plate by means of a bottom dove tail tongue 6 fitting in a corresponding groove 7 on the upper side of the base-plate and a center bolt 8 passing through a transverse slot 9 in said base-plate into the solid base of the center-head, whereby the centerhead can be adjusted in relation to the crank operating pin 103 of the needle-carrier 21 to give the needle more or less front position with respect to the looper 81 to'give the proper relation of the barb of the needle thereto.

'The front pillar 3 of the centerhead has a rectangular vertical opening 10 within which is mounted the sewing-head, which, for this purpose, has vertical co-inciden't recesses 11 on each side fitting corresponding tongues 12 on the inner walls of the opening 10 in the centerhead, and when seated in place within the latter is secured by screw bolts 13 passing through the vertical sides of the centerhead and into threaded holes 14 in the sides of the sewing-head. This sewinghead is constructed of vertical side plates 15 secured together so as to leave an interven ng space by means of a front plate 16, a top box 66, and a screw 18. 'The right vertical side is arched at its lower front corner to leave an opening 15 within which the acting end 19 of the feed lever 26 works at the side of and under the head and which opening allows access to the needle carrier; see Figs. 2 and 11. In the other vertical side plate the needle-carrier is loosely mounted upon a horizontal rocking pin 20, so as to operate between the said side plates at the arched opening. Above the needle-carrier is arranged. the rod 24 which carries the looper and this rod passes through a bushed-bearing, 92, Fig. 8, in the front plate of the sewinghead. The other end of the looper carrying rod hasabushed-bearing 91 in the upper part of the'rear pillar of the centerhead. Above this looper-rod at the top of the sewing-head is mounted a box 66 for the pivot hearing 74 of the feed-lever device.

The back-gage 39 for supporting the edge of the sole at the point of stitchingis fitted to slide in the bottom plate of the sewing-head; while the slide-rest 46 for supporting the lasted shoe in proper position to the sewing mechanism, is arranged below the back-gage and is fitted to slide horizontally in guideways 48 48 in the front and in the rear pillars of the centerhead. See Fig. 7.

The needle-carrier 21 is operated by a direct crank motion wherein the crank pin 103is mounted in separate cam cylinders 97 and 99. These cam cylinders are each fixed upon a separate shaft 100 which is mounted in standards 101 on the base-plate 1 of the centerhead. The cam cylinders are separated to permit of the rotary movement of the pitman rod 35 between them and foraccess to the cams, which they contain, for operating the sewing mechanism, and the work supporting and feeding mechanism. The cam cylinders are united by the crank pin 103 and rotate together, and they are mounted by separate shafts, in standards which are fitted in grooved Ways g on the base-plate and are secured and made adjustable by screw bolts h so as to bring the cam cylinders in equal relation to the centerhead and to the pitman-rod. In

connection with thislateral adjustment of the cam cylinders I provide for adjusting the centerhead at right angles to the line of the shafts by the slot 9 in the base-plate and the screw-bolt 8 which secures the centerhead thereto. The object of this adjustment is to set the centerhead so that .the needle shall have the proper relation 'to the work and to the looper, and, in connection with the side adj ustment of the cam cylinders, all the work ing parts have a perfect central relation to each other.

This supporting structure and" housing give the advantage of disposing the crank operated pitmanrod, the needle-carrier, the back-gage, the slidc-rest,the looperdevice, and the feed-device, in lines parallel with each other and in direct longitudinal line in the structure, and the operator has thereby a free and clear front way for swinging the shoe while sewing.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 8 it will be seen that the sewing-head housing contains the bearing box 66 at its top, for the feed-lever device 26, the bearing for the looper device so that the looper-arm 25 depends in front of said housing, and the needle-carrier 21 which is pivoted in the latter; that the separate cam cylinders 97 and 99 are arranged to operate within the semi-circular open way of thecenter-head; that the crank operated .pitmanrod 35 is arranged between the cam cylinders and within the unobstructed space. of the sewing-head; that the back gage 39 is arranged in the centerhead just beneath the sewing-head; and that the looper" actuating rod 24 and the slide-rest 46 are arranged to cross the semi-circular open way of the center-head (between the cam cylinders) for connection with the rear side. thereof.

In Fig. 3, 91 is the hushed-bearing for the.

rear end of the looper-rod; 48' is the box for the rear end of the slide-rest; 48 is the guide bearing for the front end of the slide-rest; and 10 is the opening within which the sew-- ing-head housing is secured to the center-v head structure. 7

I make the supporting-screw-stem for the center-head hollow to afford access to the screw 8 and for adjusting the centerhead upon the base-plate; I make the base of the center-head fiat to afiord a firm seat upon the base-plate; and I make the standard open at its top and flat to form a seat for the screwring by which the center-head structure is supported, swiveled and adjusted.

It is evidentthat immaterial changes may be permitted from the general construction and arrangement of parts contributing toward my invention, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself in precise detail and construction. It will be understood that many of the details above described are not all essential to the several features of my invention separately considered. This will be indicated in the concludmg claims, as in any given claim the omission of an element, or the omission of reference to the particular features of the elements mentioned is intended to be a formal declaration of the fact that the omitted elements or features are not essential to the invention covered therein. 1

I have illustrated in the drawings the invention claimed herein in connection with a 7 complete shoe sewing machine, but as to all matters of devices and of the combination of such devices embraced in said machine other than those which belong to and are covered by the invention claimed herein, they are embodied in separate and distinct applications, Serial Nos. 491,159, 491,160, 491,442, 490,965, and 490,383, for patents filed by me and are therefore not claimed herein.

I claim as my invention in supporting and housing structures for shoe sewing machinery- 1. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination with a centerhead structure for containing the operating mechanism, and a hollow Supporting standard therefor, of a screw stem fixed to said centerhead and telescoping with said standard, a screw ring engaging said screw stem, seated upon said standard, and means forclamping said screw stem within and to said standard, for the purpose stated. 1

2. In a shoe sewing machine the combination with a centerhead structure for containing the operating mechanism, of a hollow standard split Vertically at its upper end and having a clamp device at the split, a screw-. stem fixed to said centerhead and telescoping with the split standard, and a screw-ring engaging said screw-stem and seated upon said standard, for the purpose stated.

3. A centerhead structure of a shoe sewing machine consisting of a base-plate, a semicircular open body upon said base-plate, a sewing-head housing mounted upon and overhanging the front side of said semi-circular body, and standard bearings upon said baseplate, for containing and supporting in oper-' ative relation the sewing, feeding, work supporting and operatingdevices, substantially as described.

4:. A centerhead structure, consisting of a semicircular open body forming front and rear pillars, the front pillar bifurcated, and the base having a tongue, a base-plate at right angles to said semi-circular body having a transverse groove for said base-tongue and longitudinal surface grooves, standard bearings'adj ustably fitted in said surface grooves, a cross-slot in said base-plate and a bolt passing through said slot for adjustably securing the centerhead structure upon said baseplate, and a sewing-head housing-fitted inand overhanging the bifurcated pillar, the said semi-circular body and sewing-head housing adapted to contain the Working mechanism in operative relation.

5. In a shoe sewing machine, a centerhead structure and housing, consisting of. a semicircular body having a flat-base, open at the top and at the sides, of greater length than "width, having its front side bifurcated and formed with tongues on its inner Walls, a baseplate at right angles to said semi-circular body, standard bearings on each end of said base-plate, in combination with a sewing-headhousing having vertical recesses matching the tongues of the bifurcated front of the centerhead, and secured therein, whereby the sewing-head housing is supported in overhanging relation to the front end of the centerhead, for the purpose stated.

6. In a shoe sewing machine, a centerhead structure adapted to contain and support the operating mechanism and having a screw stem, in combination withja screw-ring engaging said stem, an expansible hollow cylindrical base-support on which saidring is free to be swiveled and forming a walled guide for said stem, and a device for clamping said base walls upon said screw stem, substantially as described.

- 7. In a shoe sewing machine, a hollow standard and a hollow screw-stem, in combination with a centerhead structure for containing the operating mechanism, and a screw-ring upon said screw-stem having a seat upon the open top of said standard, substantially as described.

8. In a sewing machine, a centerhead forming an inverted arch havinga flat crown, and a supporting baseplate therefor, having bearing standards at the open sides of said arch, for containing the operating mechanism, in combination with a standard support, and a device for supporting, adj ustingand swiveling the said centerhead, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed this specification in the presence of witnesses.

FRANCIS ARTHUR MILLS.

Witnessesx A. E. H. JOHNSON, PHILIP-F. LARNER. 

